Is MARTA ready for it's closeup??
Over the next several weeks and months, MARTA rail is going to be put to the test. It is the single best alternative for commuters hoping to avoid the massive traffic snarl caused by the fire and collapse of a key part of the Atlanta freeway system. Ridership on trains (and buses) is likely to gain huge numbers. It should be interesting to see whether some of these new transit users stick and stay once the highway system is restored to working order. It would be interesting to hear anecdotal reporting on how MARTA is holding up during this period.
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Hello,
I have lived and worked in Atlanta for 40+ years. Ive watched Marta grow from a child. Now, there are a lot of people in this town who will tell you MARTA expansion has been shot down because of racial issues or politics, etc. But, I want to tell you from a different perspective, that many who live outside of this area do not understand, as to why MARTA does not, and will not, help while we have lost a major artery I-85 First, you have to note that Atlanta is different than most all major cities with a mass transit plan in that Atlanta has no physical boundary. No mountain, lake, river, ocean, etc. Atlanta has sprawled in every conceivable direction. If you grab a map of Atlanta you will see that we have a perimiter (I-285) that circles the city. We refer to areas as either ITP or OTP. you are in or out of the perimeter. Now, look at a map of MARTA. You quickly see that MARTA barely goes OTP. Now, here is the rub. All of these people (millions, in fact) that live far OTP, 20 miles or so.....once they get in their car....they are not going to stop and get out once they get to the nearest MARTA stop. Its just not going to happen. And yes, you could start extending rail lines 30 miles in each direction from the center of town.....but if I cannot get to the front door of my office building, Im going to take my nice air conditioned or heated car where I can listen to what I want to hear (not what someone else forces me to listen to) and I wont be pan handled every single day. It may be unpopular, but its the reason people dont use MARTA who live OTP except to go to sporting events. At the end of the day, mass transit rail does not work for a geography of 400+ square miles. We need forward thinking solutions and our elected officials are not interested in doing anything that may be seen as risky. Instead, they are pointing a finger at transportation plans from 1996 or are do nothing politicians making a name off finger pointing. |
I take transit everyday and want to see MARTA succeed, but let's be real. Auto-dependent Atlanta is not going to step up to this challenge.
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I know MARTA can't possibly solve every commuters transportation dilemma, but a lot of commuters who do live and/or work within a reasonable distance of a MARTA station or have access to connecting bus routes just might find that using MARTA is not the worst thing that could happen. Even when the Atlanta freeway system is fully functioning, it can be an absolute nightmare to use it. I just read that ridership is up by close to 40% so far today. It will be interesting to learn whether there is any lasting impact on ridership rates once the crisis is resolved.
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Now, look at a map of MARTA. You quickly see that MARTA barely goes OTP.
Now, here is the rub. All of these people (millions, in fact) that live far OTP, 20 miles or so.....once they get in their car....they are not going to stop and get out once they get to the nearest MARTA stop. Its just not going to happen. Well, at least some of these folks are going to have to stop or get dropped off at a MARTA station for the next little while, if they want to get into town or to the airport in a reasonable amount of time. I can't even begin to imagine what traffic is going to look like on the Perimeter Highway over the next few weeks. |
If nothing else, it will force a large number of people to familiarize themselves with, and get comfortable with, mass transit. Many of these people grew up in places where transit was either non-existent, not financially feasible, or where society looked down on transit as "the poor man's transportation". This could have a big equalizing effect that, hopefully, will make people look at MARTA differently and notice the opportunities and conveniences it could provide everyone.
Also, it could help outsiders understand why people from other walks of life depend on MARTA as their sole source of transportation and thus realize the need to support it holistically. Plus, a noticeable change in attitude (post I-85 reconstruction) could create a ripple effect across the Southeast. If people in cities like Jacksonville, Memphis, Birmingham, and others notice MARTA as an effective transit system, their electorate (and then their elected officials) may begin to take stronger looks at more robust transit systems. |
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anyway, there's this: http://i.imgur.com/eJf8k72.jpg and even more exciting is this: https://www.reddit.com/r/Atlanta/com...a_to_cobb_and/ getting marta into cobb and gwinnett county would be game changing. |
Let's see how much og that ridership boost sticks after the bridge is repaired...
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1. There's simply no way for MARTA to make up the difference here. Sure some people could drive to the nearest MARTA station, but the parking isn't even remotely sufficient to accept 300,000 people.
2. MARTA should never be extended outside the perimeter because Atlanta is far too sparse for it to make any sense. Commuter Rail out in the suburbs might work, but heavy rail out in sparse suburbs is absurd. 3. There is no incentive for Atlanta to get any denser because they can literally sprawl in every direction. Cars are simply a superior form of transportation to trains and the only reason people ever take trains is because some cities like New York and San Francisco are on peninsulas where they can't sprawl out appropriately. |
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Extending the blue line east to Lithonia and Conyers seems reasonable. As does extending a new line from downtown up the 75 corridor to Vinings, Cumberland, Dobbins, Kennesaw State, Marietta, and Kennesaw. |
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Using the comment that the city is not on a peninsula is simply an excuse. If anything, not having geographical constraints makes it easier to extend service. You don't need to tunnel under San Francisco Bay at enormous cost. |
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The quoted article is for Toronto's commuter rail system. Some of those lines run 90 miles outside of downtown into the outer suburbs. Density isn't as important for that sort of service.
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Most commuter rail systems nowadays were converted from legacy railroad segments instead of building brand new tracks.
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As long as conservativism has a cultural and political stranglehold on the area it probably won't happen, but what metro ATL really needs is an urban growth boundry to force the urbanization of already developed areas.
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https://metropolitanhistory.files.wo...1-am.png?w=906 |
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Toronto's plan will eventually integrate Go Transit fully into the transit network of a vast area inside and outside Toronto. There is no reason why this can't work in Atlanta if there is the political will to build it instead of endless highway expansions. |
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